Social Media: The New Mantra for Managing Reputation

Abstract

I n a world where "one angry tweet can torpedo a brand," 1 corporations need to embrace all possibilities. Social media 2 have transformed the business and communication landscape and organizations appear to, reluctantly or willingly, recognize this change. Evolving patterns of communication, collaboration, consumption, and innovation have created new domains of interactivity for companies and stakeholders. In this changed scenario, there are opportunities for experimentation and correction, yet challenges abound. As on date, there are no definitive methodologies nor there is a 'one-size-fits-all' formula that can be applied to all situations for optimum results.

Flows of Water and Information: Reconstructing Online Communication During the 2013 European Floods in Austria

“…According to Freeman (1984, p. 46), a stakeholder could be 'any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organisation's objectives'. In times of social media, the number of potential stakeholders increases and the identification, analysis and prioritisation of stakeholders' expectations get more complex (Kaul & Chaudhri, 2015). In an emergency or crisis situation, it is indispensable to integrate the different identified stakeholders' expectations, since successful crisis communication depends not only on how quickly, but also how accurately the most important facts are communicated (see also Chapter 10).…”

The pragmatics of Indian political apologies: Sorry, but not sorry

“…Post this ancient public expression of regret, the speech act of apology was almost absent from the repertoire of Indian public figures (Kaul et al, 2015). There could be several reasons for this late adoption of public apology as an image repair and restoration tool.…”

“…Culturally, Indians perceive tendering of a public apology as admitting guilt (Maddux et al, 2012), unlike in places such as Japan and Hong Kong, where a public apology is an attempt to repair damage and restore relationships, not necessarily implying an admission of guilt. In this context, Mishra observes that ‘Indian Corporate history shows that brands rarely say “sorry”’ (Kaul et al, 2015).…”

“…The emerging shift in public apologies being accepted as an image restoration tool could be attributed to the hyper-connectivity of audiences on social media. On social media platforms, situations can escalate rapidly, breaking down the traditional barriers of time, location and gatekeepers of information says Karen Freberg, Assistant Professor, Strategic Communications at University of Louisville, USA (Kaul et al, 2015). The increasing reach of the social media 2 has necessitated that leaders, corporations and individuals show agility in responding to public sentiment.…”

“…The Indian general elections in 2014, saw most political leaders using social media actively to connect with the masses. In fact, the landslide victory of Bhartiya Janta Party was partly attributed to the effective use of social media platforms by the party leader, Mr Narendra Modi (Kaul et al, 2015).…”